still doll was Kanon Wakeshima’s debut single. It was released on May 28, 2008 and reached number 33 on the charts with 3,642 copies sold. In all this single has sold over 6,838+ copies. The title track was used as the end theme song from the anime Vampire Knight. This single was produced by a guitarist by the name of Mana. And a little extra information: Kanon has been playing the cello since she was three and is now considered a virtuoso.

Tracks:
1. still doll
2. Kuroi Torikago
3. still doll ~Orgel Version~

Review:
Beginning Kanon’s debut is the eerie still doll. One thing I have to say is that this music is scary, well somewhat scary in a classical way. But anyway it begins with a cello playing shortly followed by what appears to be a music box. Then Kanon sings “Hi miss, Alice” followed by some Japanese. The music moves slowly but here is fits. But there is one major flaw, something that a lot of people have been mentioning, the structure. This song seems to have no apparent structure. I have no idea where the chorus is in this song and the same goes for the verses, it’s all a big mess. But with that being said, I still like this song, mostly for the classical elements. And the end was nice, still you do not answer.

Darker and faster paced is Kuroi Torikago lit. Black Birdcage. Unlike it’s predecessor, this song begins with fast violins yet the music is still dark. But this time Kanon seems to have stronger vocals that sound a heck of a lot better, and those violins playing keep adding to the music. The verses sounded great although not that catchy. The chorus was so much better, pure bliss in a scary dark kind of way. The bridge was a cello playing with some violins. But after the bridge was one of my favorite parts, mostly because it got all scary and Kanon’s vocals were a little distorted. And the final chorus was phenomenal as it featured a wonderful orchestra of violins and superb background music. This was much better than the title track.

When I first saw still doll ~Orgel Version~ I thought it was some type of remix. But this is actually just another instrumental. However, it’s with a music box instead. But despite it being just a music box, it’s still pretty nice. Same great melody and same eerie tune. And it still reminds me of a classical tune for some reason. It might be shorter but it’s still pretty nice, in an eerie way.

Overall Review: still doll was eeriness with classical flare. It’s been a while since I’ve heard a single of this magnitude from any artist. Considering all I hear is mostly mainstream pop this is a little treat. It was great to hear something so new and so strange. I loved the fact that this single was so unique and featured some dark music, and the classical approach was genius. Kanon has got to be one of those new breakout artists of 08 that we need to keep an eye on.

Final Grade: 97A